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Drum 'n' bass lives! and more attractions this week

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Michael Magrath

The three stark white sculptures in Occidental Park are missing limbs and a head. That's not surprising. They have been exposed to an onslaught of rain and the vagrant whims of passersby since Sept. 11. And they are made from ordinary table salt. Lot's Tribe, the three full-scale figures of civilian victims of the Iraq war—a bound and blindfolded boy, a weeping man, and a mourning father—are the work of sculptor and Gage Academy art professor Michael Magrath, who will speak tonight at Form/Space Atelier about the value and purpose of ephemeral public art. The 45-year-old artist will discuss what inspired this symbolically provocative and somber installation (the 2004 re-election of George W. Bush and the lack of images in mainstream media of the ongoing suffering in the Middle East resulting from his "pre-emptive" war) and "the breakneck trajectory of the project"—completed in six weeks with the help of almost two dozen volunteer students, friends, and fellow sculptors. Magrath will show slides of the progress "from inception through installation and decay." (He finds "much beauty in the developing erosion.") His main point, though, will be "the potential of temporary public sculpture to activate public space and awareness, and the odd compassion folks can develop for a pile of salt." Magrath posts regularly updated pictures of Lot's Tribe at www.lotstribe.typepad.com. "People's response has been overwhelmingly positive, 'thanks' being the most common [response]," he says. Magrath installed the pieces intentionally without any explanatory text: "I wanted them to be mysterious and shocking, to linger as a question rather than resolved as a neat package. Also, most people get through word of mouth what they are about and made of. So that kind of instigates discussion, which was the whole point." (He did later add some signage.) "And many of the local street population have become sort of amateur docents. This last, final, reversal of class boundaries is my most favorite and least expected effect." Form/Space Atelier, 1907 Second Ave., 206-448-2302, www.formspace atelier.com. 7 p.m. SUE PETERS

Music

Big, Bad, and Heavy

Since it faded from electronic music's limelight after a meteoric peak in the late '90s, most people assume the genre of drum and bass has died, but really it's gone deep underground. Largely owing to the 360 BPM promotion/ production crew, who celebrate their 10th anniversary tonight, Seattle's scene is healthier than that of many cities its size. Four or five weeklies run at a given time, and are attended by as many different small crews of friends and fans. As Justin Paul reported for us in 2003, the original core group of DJs Zacharia, Demo, and Nitsuj staged everything from "20-person basement parties" to "1,000-plus rave rooms," although Zac and Demo mostly stick to smaller club gigs these days. Weeklies they're involved in regularly include Kaos Theory's Tuesday night at the War Room, Onset at Temple Billiard's Deep Down Lounge on Saturdays, and Wednesday night's InDepth at Trinity. Each year's anniversary party is one to remember, but this year's will be predictably slamming, with Zac, Theory, Demo, and Olcyrus rinsing down- and-dirty dnb, and Sir Kutz and DJ Sol manning the breaks/house room. To see where years of passion—obsession?—for a specialized sound can get you, check out the fine-tuned sets tonight, and the massive that appreciates the hard work. Neumo's, 925 E. Pike St., 206- 709-9467, www.neumos.com. $10. 18+ 10 p.m. RACHEL SHIMP

Holidays

Feast with the Beasts

Tired of slaving in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, only to have nothing but scraps for yourself after the vultures (er, family members, friends, and curious neighbors) have descended? Be the first to pounce on this traditional dinner at the zoo, which features carved turkey and ham, the usual "fixins"—we hope that means green-bean casserole and sweet potatoes with marshmallows—and a dessert buffet. A cash bar is available for those who need more than tryptophan to destress; a raptor will be hanging around in case you'd like the festivities to swing in the other direction. There are a lot of Thanksgiving dinners available in town on this day, but this is the only one where you can go hog wild over your banquet, and feel right at home. Woodland Park Zoo, North 50th Street and Fremont Avenue North, 206-684-4825, www.zoo.org. $26.95 adults/$16.45 children 3–10; free for children 2 and younger. Member discounts apply. Advance registration required. 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 1–3 p.m., and 3:30–5:30 p.m. RACHEL SHIMP